Shaft and lever



FIG.2

Vivi/Vi il!!! INVENTOR BY k)"- ATTORNEY FIG. 8

March 13, 1934. A. H. BLATTNER SHAFT AND LEVER Filed Nov. 1-3, 1933 FIG.\

' AUGUST H. BLATTNER FIG. 7

Patented Mar. 13, 1934 -iTED STATES PATENT orrice SHAFT AND LEVER Application November 13, 1933, Serial No. 697,712

6 Claims.

This invention relates to operating shafts and levers and more particularly to easily detachable levers or cranks for operating the various pump, throttle and choke operating shafts of carburetors.

g It has been customary to provide bell crank levers for this purpose, but in previous constructions it has been customary to use a set screw to hold the operating lever rigidly in place on the shaft as a result of which the shaft was marred so as to make accurate re-assembly difficult.

An object of this invention is to provide an o erating lever and shaft which may be repeatedly and conveniently assembled and disassembled in an accurately predetermined position without marring the shaft.

Another object of this invention is to provide an operating lever and shaft of generally new and improved construction and which do not require the use of a set screw for assembly.

Still another object of this invention is to proviie a simple means of attaching the lever to the shaft which is to be operated by the lever.

The invention will be better understood by referring to the following description and accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 shows a side View of an air horn of a carburetor with parts broken away, an operating lever of my improved construction being mounted on the choke valve shaft.

igure 2 shows the air horn and lever of Figthe view being taken at right angles to that are 1, and parts being broken away. ure 3 shows an end view of the lever prior to assembly and drawn to an enlarged scale.

35 Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional View of a slight modification of the operating lever with the shaft in place, the view corresponds to one taken along line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the operating lever taken along the line 55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the shaft.

Figure 7 is a view of one end of the link which is operated by the lever.

Figure 8 is a side view of the shaft.

In the accompanying drawing although the operating lever is shown in use in connection to a choke valve shaft, it is understood that the lever is equally adapted to other shafts as well.

Referring to the drawing the reference numeral 5c 1 indicates an air horn of a down-draft carburetor.

The choke valve 2 is mounted on the flat of the shaft 3 by means of screws or rivets (not shown) which extend into the openings 21. The shaft 3 is also provided with a flat 4 terminating in a shoulder 5. The shaft is also provided with a partially annular recess 6 which intersects a portion of the fiat. The operating lever 7 is provided with non-circular openings 8, a part of which is a fiat 9. The openings 8 are in the sides 10 and 11, which are united by the transverse por- 0 tion 12. Projecting from the transverse portion is a tongue 13 of substantial length which is bent backwards so as to intersect the line between the openings 8. The length of the tongue 13 is so great in comparison to its thickness as to allow its end 14 to be sprung backwards out of the line between the openings 8, thus allowing the shaft 3 to be inserted in the openings without permanent bending. When the lever is in place on the shaft the member 14 drops into the groove 6 by its own resiliency, drawing the flat portion 9 of the open ing 8 up tight against the flat portion 4 of the shaft.

A modification of the lever is shown in Figure 4, whereby the lever is held in place on the shaft 75, by wedging the end 14 of the tongue against the member 12. This modification may be used when the lever and shaft are subjected to particularly heavy loads. It will be noted that there is no actual change in the structure of the lever, except that the end portion 14 is bent over afterv assembly into the position shown in Figure 4.

In the side 10 of the lever is a substantially circular hole 15 having the extension 16. The connecting member 17 is provided with a protruding 5; lip 18 on the portion 19 which is at a substantial right angle to the main portion of the member.

In operation, the operating lever is mounted on or removed from the shaft by depressing the end 14 of the tongue 13, which has sufficient sprin tension to substantially return to its original position. Thus in mounting the lever the end 14 is depressed and the shaft inserted in the openings 8. The openings being of only large enough diameter to make a sliding fit with the shaft, the flats 9 9.5; and 4 are mutually in contact. The tongue 13 is held in the annular recess 6 of the shaft by its own spring tension.

In the modification, the end of the tongue is I forced against the member 12 thereby rigidly holding the tongue in the annular recess of the shaft.

The connecting member is inserted in the opening 15 of the lever in such a manner that the lip 18 coincides with the opening 16. On rotating the member 17 to the operating position the lip 18 is rotated to such a part of the circumference of the opening 15 that the member is held in place in relation to the lever, still allowing the member 1 9 to be free to rotate as the operating lever assumes a new position.

It will be understood that the cylindrical portions 3 and 33 of the choke shaft form bearing portions to operate in the journals 34 and 35 which extend from the sides of the air horn of the carburetor.

I claim:

1. In combination, a shaft having a non-circular portion at the end thereof, a recess in a part of said end portion opposite to said non-circular portion, an operating lever having a noncircular opening adapted to slidably receive the non-circular end of said shaft, said lever having an integral spring portion adapted to engage said recess when the lever is in position on the shaft.

2. In combination, a shaft, one end of said shaft having a flat side formed thereon, a recess in said shaft at a point adjacent the end having the flattened portion, an operating lever mounted on said shaft, said operating lever being formed from a single piece of sheet metal and comprising a pair of spaced side portions having aligned openings therein of suitable size and shape to fit the flattened end of said shaft, an extension for said lever of substantial length, said extension being bent in such a manner as to resiliently contact with the recess in said shaft.

3. In combination, an operating shaft having a non-circular portion at one end thereof, a recess formed in said end of said shaft, an operating lever mounted on said shaft, said operating lever comprising a single sheet metal member having spaced side portions, aligned non-circular openings in said side portions of suitable size and shape to receive the non-circular end of said shaft and a U-shaped spring member having one side of the U joined to the operating lever at a point between said side portions, and the other side of the U being normally retained in said recess.

4. In combination, a shaft having a non-circular end portion, a recess in the non-circular end of said shaft, an operating lever integrally formed from a single sheet of metal, said operating lever having a pair of openings to receive the noncircular end of said shaft, said operating lever having an extension of substantial length formed integrally therewith, said extension being bent into substantially U-shape, one end of the U- shaped extension being integrally joined to the operating lever, an intermediate portion of the other side of said U -shaped extension passing thru the recess in said shaft and the free end of the U-shaped portion being rebent to: contact with said operating lever and hold said intermediate portion firmly in contact with said recess.

5. An operating lever for shafts comprising a single sheet metal member, said member having a pair of side portions, aligned holes in said portons, at least one of said holes being non-circular in formation, a U-shaped extension for said lever. said extension having a free end normally intersecting the line between said openings and being sufiiciently resilient and flexible to permit its being bent out of line with said openings while being assembled.

6. A device of the character described in the preceding claim and in which the free end of the extension is re-bent to contact with another portion of the operating lever so as to prevent the displacement of the extension after assembly.

AUGUST H. BLATTNER. 

